THE owner of a raccoon that was spotted roaming the streets of Tyneside has appealed for his safe return – as he has two females pining for him.

Bruno was spotted in the garden of a house in Chopwell in September by householder Ralph Lowes.

He said it had been in a stand-off with a local cat and took the featured picture.

Mr Lowes contacted the police, the RSPCA and Petsearch for help in catching the animal, but to no avail.

Now, Bruno’s owners Nikki Addison and her daughter Lexi-Leigh, from the Stocksfield area of Tyneside, are eager to get him back home.

“People do not realise how clever these animals are. Bruno and one of his females escaped, although we did manage to catch her.

“We have searched our local area but haven’t managed to see any tracks from him,” said Ms Addison, who has had Bruno for around eight months.

Normally found in North America, with a reputation for being something of a pest, raccoons can be feisty creatures.

“I would not recommend for anybody to approach him as he is aggressive and not tame,” said Ms Addison. “If people do sight the animal I would appreciate it if they could contact me through email as we now have two lonely female raccoons.”

Nikki can be contacted via nikki_billy11@hotmail.co.uk